High-top booties

This pair of booties I started towards the end of my first trimester. While knitting the first bootie I had a little scare with the pregnancy and got superstitious and stopped, then lost my knitting momentum for a few months. These past few weeks I've been trying to make up for lost time. I finally finished the booties, knitted several little hats (not all for my baby), and there are a couple of baby sweaters in the works.

Not sure what to say about these booties. They came out mismatched (likely due to the time that elapsed between bootie #1 and bootie #2) and the pattern may be a little wonky on the eyelet round (it could just be me, though the same thing happened for both booties). But they're done, and time will tell if they are wearable by an actual baby.

John bought us a digital SLR on our one-year wedding anniversary, and this is the first picture I'll be posting that was taken with that camera (photo credit: John).

High-top baby booties
Started: Feb. 24, 2007
Finished: June, 2007
Pattern: From Knitting To Go
Yarn: RYC CashSoft Aran in Haze
Needles: US 8 dpns

Pile o' baby knits

Here's a peek at all the baby knitting I've recently completed, along with a cute sheep-featuring card we bought for one of the new babies.

Modified roll-top booties

I made a new pair of booties with many modifications -- stitches adjusted for aran/worsted weight yarn, all stockinette except for the bottoms, knit in the round (mostly -- the bottoms are seamed). They came out according to plan. I wrote up the revised pattern and maybe I'll post it soon.

Roll-top booties
Started: Sept. 30
Finished: Oct. 1
Pattern: Based on this one but heavily modified
Yarn: RYC CashSoft Aran in Haze, 1 ball
Needles: US 8 circ, US 8 dpns, US 6 dpns

Somewhat oversized baby things

This hat is for my friends' baby who's due at the end of October. It's the Umbilical Cord Hat from Stitch 'n' Bitch. I substitituted the yarn and, since my gauge was slightly different, started with 72 stitches instead of 64 and added an extra decrease row. It was a very quick, easy knit -- just what I needed!

It seems a little big for a newborn, but it's 16" like the pattern says. According to this chart, a newborn's head circumference is 13-14" and this hat would be a better fit for a 6-month-old. (I probably should have checked the chart first!) Maybe with the roll brim it will be sort of adjustable and he'll grow into it. And maybe I'll just knit another smaller one since they're so quick.

Umbilical Cord Hat
Started: Sept. 23, 2006
Finished: Sept. 23, 2006
Pattern: Umbilical Cord Hat from Stitch 'n' Bitch
Yarn: RYC CashSoft Aran in Haze, 1 ball
Needles: US 8 circ (Addi Turbos)

I wanted to make roll-top booties with i-cord ties to match the hat. I scoured the internet but couldn't find exactly what I was looking for in worsted weight yarn. This pattern looked pretty close except it had ribbing at the cuff. That seemed like an easy thing to modify. I read the pattern several times but couldn't wrap my brain around the construction, so I decided to just jump in and give it a try. My gauge was a little off, but rather than tamper with numbers I couldn't even comprehend, I wagered that a little big wouldn't be so bad, especially with a drawstring tie.



It came out 1/2 inch too long, which is probably a significant amount of extra length for a baby bootie. But more importantly, I didn't take into consideration that seams will show in a rolled cuff. I've been thinking about it, and I want to try this bootie again but in the round, and starting with slightly fewer stitches. Fortunately a bootie isn't a huge commitment, and I still have enough time to experiment. (I guess I'm in denial that less than 3 months remain for all that holiday knitting I haven't even begun!)


And this of course isn't knitting, nor a baby thing, but here's a little tea cup I painted at a paint-your-own-pottery cafe a couple weeks ago. I gave it to John. Yellow's his favorite color. Tea, however, is one of his least favorite beverages. Fortunately there's nothing to prevent one from using a tea cup to hold something besides tea.

FO: Angora baby booties

These are the angora baby booties I knit for our landlord's new baby. I'm not sure I bound off loosely enough, and it might be tough to get the baby's feet in them, but angora baby booties are pretty impractical anyway. No matter, they look pretty and are very, very soft! I just hope no bunnies were harmed in the making of this yarn.







Angora baby booties
Started: Feb. 4
Finished: Feb. 5
Pattern: From Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Yarn: Belangor 100% Angora by Joseph Galler, one skein, white
Needles: US 4 bamboo dpns

Socktopus and odds and ends

John made a Socktopus for a friend's birthday, and every socktopus needs a hat so I knit him one. I improvised the pattern and used leftover Bernat Satin and bamboo double-pointeds (size 8, I believe). It was a very satisfying, instantly gratifying knit. I finished the hat just as John was adding the final touches to the socktopus. I have to say I really like working with that yarn -- so soft and shiny.


This is the beginning of Knitty's Branching Out with some 100% cashmere I got at School Products. I can't decide if the yarn is too lightweight for this pattern. It might be fingering weight but I'm not sure -- the tag doesn't give much information. Maybe it would look better with a smaller needle size rather than the US 8 which the pattern suggests (if that's even what I'm using -- to be honest, I can't recall), but then it would be super skinny. I'll have to do a few more pattern repeats and see if it shapes up. The Silky Wool suggested in the pattern sounds lovely and is surprisingly inexpensive -- I may order some online since I can't seem to find it in stores. I'm sure I can come up with something to do with the cashmere if Branching Out isn't the answer. The trick is I only have about 250 yards.

I've also made some more progress on the Koigu sock (hopefully someday to belong to a pair), my ongoing portable project. The heel flap is almost done. Over the weekend I borrowed the needles I've been using for the sock to make a pair of angora baby booties from Last Minute Knitted Gifts for my landlord's baby. Those are complete; pictures to come.

While watching the SuperBowl and the L Word last night, I finally seamed up the Fairly Easy Fair Isle's underarms and sleeves. The fit doesn't appear to be too bad -- the sleeves are snug and longish, just how I like them. The jury's still out on the body -- might be a tad looser than I'd like -- but today I bought buttons at M & J Trimming so soon we shall see. There are also a gazillion ends that need to be weaved in.

Socktopus hat
Started: Feb. 3
Finished: Feb. 3
Yarn: Bernat Satin leftovers in sapphire
Needles: US 8 bamboo straights